Chapter 526 Arrived as promised
Zhao Yi glanced at Wang Qiaoxin and Lin Youwei, and protected Shen Qingtan standing next to the parapet so that she could see the situation in the tent better.
Shen Qingtan's heart, pounding rapidly, gradually calmed down the moment she saw the soldiers withdraw. She slowly loosened her clenched fists, rested her hands on the parapet, and gazed at the tents in the distance.
It was already dark, and the faint flames of burning torches could be seen.
The fire was like a long dragon, gradually disappearing into the city gate of Yingcheng.
Although she knew that her father was on guard, she couldn't help but worry about him the moment she saw the bed crossbow.
Fortunately, Zhao Yi stopped it in time, otherwise the garrison would have ordered the soldiers to shoot the arrows, which would have completely triggered a war between the two countries and completely disrupted their plans.
Not until the last bit of firelight disappeared into the night did Shen Qingtan retract his gaze and handed his hand to Zhao Yi: "Let's go back."
Zhao Yi helped Shen Qingtan walk down the city wall and got into the carriage.
Shen Qingtan leaned close to Zhao Yi's ear and spoke in a voice barely loud enough for him to hear, "His Majesty has always suspected you of leaning towards the Great Zhou. Now that you've openly defied his will, I'm afraid he'll be even more convinced that you won't rebel against the Great Zhou. Although what you say is true, he may not believe it. He will only use your words as an excuse to protect my father and will definitely punish you."
Zhao Yi pinched her soft, boneless fingers one by one and said nonchalantly, "Let's take it one step at a time. There are always more solutions than problems."
Shen Qingtan was not as optimistic as Zhao Yi. He vaguely felt that he had prepared for the worst.
Although the Northern Qi Emperor and Zhao Yi had a feud over the murder of their mother, he was still Zhao Yi's biological father. If he were to bear the reputation of a patricide, it would be contrary to the moral principles he had learned.
He will also be criticized by the world for this.
The Emperor of Northern Qi deserved to be put to death, and it was not worth it for Zhao Yi to lose his reputation.
"Don't worry about it. I won't let my reputation be tarnished in the slightest." Zhao Yi looked at her worried face, hugged her in his arms, and whispered, "You have to trust me."
Shen Qingtan leaned her head on his shoulder: "Of course I believe you."
The carriage slowly stopped at the gate of the palace. Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan got off the carriage, said goodbye to Wang Qiaoxin and Lin Youwei, and turned to enter the palace.
Lin Youwei looked at the tightly closed gate and couldn't help but ask Wang Qiaoxin, "Did you deliberately not stop Prince Guangling and let him stop the garrison from shooting Prince Zhenbei?"
"When the Prince of Zhenbei was in Liangzhou, he single-handedly charged into the enemy camp and took the head of the enemy leader. Not to mention that he had tens of thousands of elite soldiers at his disposal, while we only had ten thousand. The disparity in strength meant that we were doomed to defeat. If Yuncheng were defeated, His Majesty's wrath would only be directed at you and me. What good would that do to us then? I don't want to die in vain, so why should I stop Prince Guangling? He disobeyed His Majesty's secret order, so he should bear the blame." Wang Qiaoxin sneered, "You want to die, I won't stop you."
Originally, Lin Youwei thought that Wang Qiaoxin had secretly colluded with Zhao Yi, so he did not stop Zhao Yi from going to the enemy tower. However, he did not expect that Wang Qiaoxin had already discovered the disparity in strength between the two countries. In order to save his own life, he deliberately let Zhao Yi take the blame for disobeying the order.
Wang Qiaoxin looked as if he was too lazy to waste time talking to the idiot. He waved the reins in his hand and rode away.
Lin Youwei finally understood that Wang Qiaoxin did not collude with Zhao Yi, but he was not very loyal to the Emperor of Northern Qi and only cared about his own interests.
He put his thoughts aside and rode away on his horse.
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On the other side, Shen Qingtan was unaware of the conversation between Wang Qiaoxin and Lin Youwei, and pulled Zhao Yi's arm and walked towards Lanxueyuan.
Zhao Yi stopped and said, "Manman, come with me to the study. I have something important to discuss with you."
Shen Qingtan was just about to write a letter to Gu Changsheng, and when the city gate opened tomorrow, he would send someone to deliver the letter and the gift to him.
Without giving it much thought, she instructed Liu Yue and Ting Xue, "You two, take the gifts from your parents and brothers to Lan Xue Garden."
"Yes." Liu Yue and Ting Xue agreed and carried the boxes to Lan Xue Garden.
Shen Qingtan took Zhao Yi's arm and went to the study.
Suddenly, she stopped and looked at the brightly lit study with surprise.
On weekdays, the lights will be lit only when there is someone in the study.
Now, even though there was no one in the study, the lights were on.
What’s even more strange is that there is no one guarding the door.
Suddenly, an idea came to Shen Qingtan's mind. Once this idea came to her mind, it could no longer be shaken off, becoming increasingly stronger. To confirm her suspicion, she ignored Zhao Yi beside her and quickly walked to the study door, suddenly pushing it open.
The glow filled the room, and a long shadow was cast on the ground at her feet.
Shen Qingtan followed the shadow on the ground and saw that the person she had been thinking about every moment these days appeared in front of her without any warning.
Gu Changsheng, still dressed in his pure white clothes, sat upright on the wide couch facing the study door. His slender fingers gently supported the teacup, his wide, unfurled sleeves swirling like flowing clouds, untainted by a speck of dust, a pure and elegant expression.
At this moment, he heard the movement at the door, turned his head and looked over, smiling gently: "Manman, you're back."
Shen Qingtan was brought back to her senses by the kind and gentle smile on Gu Changsheng's face. Only then did she realize why her mother was unwilling to help her pass the gift to her cousin, and why Zhao Yi asked her to come to the study to talk.
It turned out that Gu Changsheng had come to keep the appointment.
"Brother Changsheng, you unexpectedly came here without a word, and even teamed up with my husband to keep me in the dark." Shen Qingtan suppressed the turbulent emotions in her heart, took light steps, and sat down opposite Gu Changsheng. She saw a half-read ancient book spread out on the curved table, which showed that he had been here for a while. "Mother also said that she wanted to invite you to have a reunion dinner together. The medicine boy in the clinic said that you went to the mountains to collect herbs and would not be back for a while. She said it with such certainty that I actually took it seriously."
As she spoke, she stared at Gu Changsheng without blinking, realizing that he looked exactly the same as when they last parted. The only difference was that his brown eyes were no longer dull, but now flickered with light and shadow.
Just like his gloomy and lonely life, it is full of vitality and light.
"I remember our agreement." Gu Changsheng listened to her words without any accusations or complaints, only the coquettish and aggrieved tone of a sister who felt that her brother and the others around him had deceived her. The smile on his lips spread to his eyes. "Besides, I have something important to tell you."
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